A PENSIONER died after being slashed with a herb cutter and beaten with a gas canister in a brutal attack at his Dudley home, a court heard.

A PENSIONER died after being slashed with a herb cutter and beaten with a gas canister in a brutal attack at his Dudley home, a court heard.

Joshua Miller, 66, died less than five hours after being found covered in blood on the sofa of his flat, Stafford Crown Court heard.

Opening the case against three men accused of murdering Mr Miller, William Davies QC said the killing happened after a woman with mental difficulties claimed that Mr Miller had indecently assaulted her.

Mr Davies alleged that the Mr Miller was attacked by Phillip Evans, 36, and 32-year-old Trevor Bate, who walked from a "lock-in" at a pub near Mr Miller's home in Wellington Road.

Evans, of Osprey Drive, and Bate, of Holland Street, both Dudley, carried out the attack on January 13 "at the instigation" of Phillip Tolley, Mr Davies told the jury. Evans, Bate and Tolley, a 46-year-old from Duncan Edwards Close, Dudley, all deny murder and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Mr Davies said: "A curved vegetable or herb chopper was used by one of the men to stab and slash Mr Miller.

"He was attacked with another weapon they found there - a butane gas bottle of the kind used to fuel portable heaters."

Mr Miller was struck a number of blows with the bottle, leaving him with multiple fractures, including several broken ribs.

The jury was told that Mr Miller became friendly with Tolley early in 2005 after meeting him in a local pub. But, after visiting Tolley's home for Sunday lunch in June 2005, Mr Miller was accused of touching a woman indecently.

"Mr Miller was arrested and interviewed but never even charged," Mr Davies said. "That plainly should have been the end of it but it was not because Mr Tolley harboured a sense of grievance."